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Description

I moved to Yosemite from the San Francisco Bay Area over 30 years ago when I accepted a job with the National Park Service. I fell in love with Yosemite and the lifestyle it provided. I have worked as a trail worker, mountain guide, wilderness ranger and cook. I have two daughters who grew up in the park and before they could walk, accompanied me on trips into the wilderness.
I continue to work seasonally in the park on historic buildings and structures for the Historic Preservation department as well as a small catering side business.
During furlough I love to travel, explore and experience different cultures and their cuisines.

My home is surrounded by oaks, manzanita, cottonwoods and pine trees on eight peaceful and secluded acres. It is located seven miles south of the gold rush town of Mariposa, California.
I am centrally located for access to Yosemite Valley (1.5 hours) and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias (1 hour). Autumn is an especially rewarding time of year for visiting the Yosemite area. Crowds are thinning and the foliage is turning from green to golden and crimson.

For accommodations, I have two bedrooms available for Workawayers; each with a double bed, individual outside access, two bathrooms and laundry facilities. I have a large kitchen that accommodates many cooks to convene and prepare meals. I look forward to sharing food, stories and creating friendships.

Type of help

GardeningBuildingGeneral MaintenanceCooking / shoppingHelp in the house

Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

I love to share my knowledge and experience of Yosemite and can suggest many activities for you to enjoy in the park.

Languages spoken

English

Accommodation

I have two bedrooms available; each with a double bed and individual outside access. There two bathrooms and a laundry facility. I have a large kitchen that accommodates many cooks to convene and prepare meals. I am looking forward to sharing meals and stories, and creating friendships.
I have many pantry staples to share, but I ask workawayers to contribute to the meals with fresh produce, dairy and/or meat.

What else ...

Yosemite has four glorious seasons, so whenever you choose to visit you won’t be disappointed. Mariposa is a quaint town that has some good restaurants, brew pubs and wine bars. There is live music on the weekends April through November and the town hosts many festivals throughout the year. Check out mariposacounty.org for information.
To really explore the area, I recommend you have your own transportation. There is public transportation (Yarts.com) from Merced to Yosemite Valley via Mariposa. There is no public transportation from Mariposa to my property, so we would have to arrange to meet in Mariposa.

A little more information

Internet access

Limited internet access

We have pets

We are smokers

How many Workawayers can stay?

More than two

Hours expected

Claudia and Vince were the consummate guests/volunteers at my home. Both were indespencible during a catering event, I appreciated their attention to detail and their efficient manner. They are excellent cooks and I will enjoy the tips and recipes they showed me.
Most pleasurable were the meals and conversations we shared and evenings spent with… read more friends in my community. I look to forward to meeting them again in Barcelona,

We enjoyed our time at Heidi's, we felt like home since the first moment. Heidi is easygoing, really nice and strong woman. We really appreciate that she introduced us to the Yosemite community, it was a wonderful experience. She is a really good cook and loves to learn about worldwide cusine, we shared delicious meals and conversations together.… read more

Heidi is very nice and interesting person, she's a great cook and has extensive knowledge of Yosemite area. She owns a beautiful wooden house near Mariposa. Many interesting projects to be done on her property and the house itself, and it's a joy to work on them as Heidi has very good tools and knows how to use them (good opportunity to learn… read more something new). Overall very satisfying workaway experience, we can only recommend.